Apple patents gesture controls for voice assistants
Apple has filed a patent for a system that uses physiological sensors to detect specific hand movements in the air. These gestures can trigger actions on a device only when a voice assistant is active and the hand is held in place for a set amount of time.
In the filing’s own words
A computer system detects a gesture, such as an air gesture, and performs an operation based on the gesture.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computer system configured to communicate with one or more input devices that include a physiological sensor, comprising: one or more processors; and memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for: receiving, via the one or more input devices, an input related to a voice assistant; in response to receiving the input related to the voice assistant, outputting voice assistant data; detecting, via the physiological sensor, a respective air gesture; and in response to detecting the respective air gesture: in accordance with a determination that a set of one or more conditions is met, including a first condition that is met when the respective air gesture is detected while the voice assistant data is being output and a second condition that is met when the respective air gesture is detected for a threshold duration of time, performing an operation that corresponds to the respective air gesture; and in accordance with a determination that the set of one or more conditions is not met, forgoing performing the operation that corresponds to the respective air gesture.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- USER INTERFACES FOR GESTURE DETECTION
- Publication number
- US20260277335A1
- Application number
- 19677927
- Filed
- May 14, 2026
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Inventors
- 5
- Claims
- 21
Classified under
G06F 3/017 Physics & computingG06F 3/015 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.